Just as Jesus had a loving duty to perform for mankind; just as a Christian
has a loving duty to perform for his Lord, so has each marriage partner
a loving duty to perform for the other. Just as there is perfect
Trust between God and the Lord Jesus Christ who sits at His right hand,
so there should be in Christian marriage.

Many women have exclaimed that Paul was a male chauvinist pig, or that
according to the Bible, marriage is not a 50/50 relationship but favours
the man. Wrong! It but shows lack of understanding of covenants and God's
divine order. Christian marriage is just that, a 50/50 relationship. The
man has 50% and the woman the other 50% and the two different halves
make a whole. Once a woman takes on part of the man's 50%, or vice versa,
the perfect balance ordained by God is upset. Satan knows this full well
and this is why so few marriages last until death us do part.

The disobedience started with Eve. The wife that submits to her husband
as explained in the Bible is protected by her husband and they are both
protected by God, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and
brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my
bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was
taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother,
and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

(Genesis 2:22-24)

Even Adam mentioned one flesh. But Eve took it upon herself to decide on
eating the fruit. Adam was first, he should have done the deciding. Eve
probably did it in trust, but she was gullible. This teaching shows us
woman's weakness. By not consulting or leaving it to Adam, mankind was
thrown out of the garden. By doing it her way, the covenant between them
was effectually broken. Eve blamed the serpent, Adam blamed Eve - there
was finger pointing. Blame was apportioned, trust was gone. They were no
longer one flesh.

We can see what happened to them.

Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception;
in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be
to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. And unto Adam he said, Because
thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree,
of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is
the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the
days of thy life;

(Genesis 3:16-17)

Even though Eve was the first to sin, their disobedience is known as Adam's
sin because he was the responsible party to God.

By reading Behold the Bridegroom Comes we understand the Jewish
marriage customs of the time of Jesus of Nazareth and see that the bridegroom
left his father's house to fetch his bride, just as Jesus left His Father's
house in heaven and came to earth, the home of His prospective bride nearly
2000 years ago. This tells us that the young Jewish man stayed with his
parents until his marriage, that he went and fetched her and that the new
wife came to live in her husband's parents home.

Marriage therefore is an extension of the relationship between God and
the Lord Jesus, and between the Lord and a Christian.

Just as each Christian should do unto others as he would have others do
unto him, so should he (she) do unto his (her) marriage partner. Each is
the half of a whole in God's eyes.

For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth
it, even as the Lord the church:

(Ephesians 5:29)

The Worldly Covenant

Seven days after a Jewish baby boy is born, his foreskin is removed in
a ceremony that confirms that the father of the child is in Covenant with
God. In this process, the son's blood is spilt and confirms that a blood
sacrifice has taken place.

As we see in 1 Corinthians 7:14 and shall come to later, the children are
sanctified by the Covenant of at least one of their parents with God.

When a young Jewish couple agree to get married, a covenant ceremony takes
place and wine (representing blood) is drunk by them both. At this stage
(betrothal), the marriage agreement is binding and they cannot withdraw
therefrom.

One of the assurances that the prospective bridegroom's father obtains
from the prospective bride's father before this ceremony, is that the young
lady is a virgin. This is very important, because when the marriage is
eventually consummated, what the Bible delicately calls "the holy flesh"
is torn and blood is spilt. This blood sacrifice builds a new covenant
between husband and wife and the wife is now under her husband's protection
and not her father's anymore.

If at the time of physical union it's found that the bride is not a virgin,
the marriage can be annulled because the bride could only now be found
unfaithful to the covenant agreement.

This is borne out by the following Scripture:

If any man take a wife, and go in unto her, and hate her, And give occasions
of speech against her, and bring up an evil name upon her, and say, I took
this woman, and when I came to her, I found her not a maid: Then shall
the father of the damsel, and her mother, take and bring forth the tokens
of the damsel's virginity unto the elders of the city in the gate:
And the damsel's father shall say unto the elders, I gave my daughter unto
this man to wife, and he hateth her; And, lo, he hath given occasions of
speech against her, saying, I found not thy daughter a maid; and
yet these are the tokens of my daughter's virginity. And they shall
spread the cloth before the elders of the city. And the elders of that
city shall take that man and chastise him; And they shall amerce him in
an hundred shekels of silver, and give them unto the father
of the damsel, because he hath brought up an evil name upon a virgin of
Israel: and she shall be his wife; he may not put her away all his days.
But if this thing be true, and the tokens of virginity be not found
for the damsel: Then they shall bring out the damsel to the door of her
father's house, and the men of her city shall stone her with stones that
she die: because she hath wrought folly in Israel, to play the whore in
her father's house: so shalt thou put evil away from among you. If a man
be found lying with a woman married to an husband, then they shall both
of them die, both the man that lay with the woman, and the woman:
so shalt thou put away evil from Israel. If a damsel that is a virgin
be betrothed unto an husband, and a man find her in the city, and lie with
her; Then ye shall bring them both out unto the gate of that city, and
ye shall stone them with stones that they die; the damsel, because she
cried not, being in the city; and the man, because he hath humbled
his neighbour's wife: so thou shalt put away evil from among you. But if
a man find a betrothed damsel in the field, and the man force her, and
lie with her: then the man only that lay with her shall die: But unto the
damsel thou shalt do nothing; there is in the damsel no sin worthy
of death: for as when a man riseth against his neighbour, and slayeth him,
even so is this matter: For he found her in the field, and
the betrothed damsel cried, and there was none to save her. If a
man find a damsel that is a virgin, which is not betrothed, and
lay hold on her, and lie with her, and they be found; Then the man that
lay with her shall give unto the damsel's father fifty shekels of
silver, and she shall be his wife; because he hath humbled her, he may
not put her away all his days.

(Deuteronomy 22:13-29)

It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife,
let him give her a writing of divorcement: But I say unto you, That whosoever
shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her
to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth
adultery.

(Matthew 5:31-32)

And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these sayings,
he departed from Galilee, and came into the coasts of Judaea beyond Jordan;
And great multitudes followed him; and he healed them there. ¶ The
Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it
lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? And he answered
and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which
made them at the beginning made them male and female, And said,
For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to
his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more
twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not
man put asunder. They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to
give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away? He saith unto them,
Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered
you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so. And I
say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for
fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth
her which is put away doth commit adultery. His disciples say unto
him, If the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good
to marry. But he said unto them, All men cannot
receive this saying, save they to whom it is given. For there are
some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother's womb: and there
are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs,
which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He
that is able to receive it, let him receive it.

(Matthew 19:1-12)

Many people stumble at these passages, believing today that one marriage
partner can obtain a divorce if the other has been unfaithful. This
is not so.

This is another area where Satan has, through the workers of iniquity,
been able to change the words of the Bible in the newer translations. Most
people would not pick this up because of their different culture and the
lie would be taken for truth, to their everlasting anguish.

There is a great difference between fornication and adultery. If a married
man has sexual relations with an unmarried woman, the man commits adultery
and the woman fornication.

According to the Chambers Dictionary:

Adultery - voluntary sexual intercourse between a married person and someone
who is not their legal partner.

Fornication - voluntary sexual intercourse of the unmarried.

The above passages of Scripture therefore mean that, if as soon as it is
found that the young Jewish bride is not a virgin, the husband can annul
the marriage because she has been unfaithful to the covenant that they
made at the time of betrothal. It must be understood that the woman was
informed of this state of affairs from an early age by some female relative,
probably her mother. If the new husband does not choose to annul it immediately,
he has to keep her as his wife, as is explained in Numbers chapter thirty
that we read a few pages back.

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary
was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child
of the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and
not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily.

(Matthew 1:18-19)

Here's the Biblical parallel concerning God and His Covenant people expressed
in marriage terms:

For according to the number of thy cities were thy gods, O Judah;
and according to the number of the streets of Jerusalem have ye
set up altars to that shameful thing, even altars to burn
incense unto Baal. Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift
up a cry or prayer for them: for I will not hear them in the time
that they cry unto me for their trouble. What hath my beloved to do in
mine house, seeing she hath wrought lewdness with many, and the
holy flesh is passed from thee? when thou doest evil, then thou rejoicest.
The LORD called thy name, A green olive tree, fair, and of goodly
fruit: with the noise of a great tumult he hath kindled fire upon it, and
the branches of it are broken.

(Jeremiah 11:13-16)

The Scripture in Matthew chapter nineteen therefore states that there is
only one reason for divorce and if any person, Christian or otherwise,
has obtained a divorce for any reason besides this, they are living
in disobedience.

In our culture therefore, because the described circumstances don't apply,
there's no Godly reason for divorce.

This also means that if anyone, Christian or otherwise, got divorced except
for the reason above, remarried and then became a Christian, that person
must divorce the second spouse, repent before God and stay single while
the first spouse lives; or become reconciled, unless the first spouse has
remarried.

When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that
she find no favour in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness
in her: then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give it
in her hand, and send her out of his house. And when she is departed out
of his house, she may go and be another man's wife. And if
the latter husband hate her, and write her a bill of divorcement, and giveth
it in her hand, and sendeth her out of his house; or if the latter
husband die, which took her to be his wife; Her former husband,
which sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after that
she is defiled; for that is abomination before the LORD: and thou
shalt not cause the land to sin, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for
an inheritance.

(Deuteronomy 24:1-4)

It's not easy to be a Christian. But then look what you stand to gain!

A similar situation is described in the Bible:

Now when these things were done, the princes came to me, saying, The people
of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites, have not separated themselves
from the people of the lands, doing according to their abominations,
even of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites,
the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. For they
have taken of their daughters for themselves, and for their sons: so
that the holy seed have mingled themselves with the people of those
lands: yea, the hand of the princes and rulers hath been chief in this
trespass. And when I heard this thing, I rent my garment and my mantle,
and plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard, and sat down astonied.
Then were assembled unto me every one that trembled at the words of the
God of Israel, because of the transgression of those that had been carried
away; and I sat astonied until the evening sacrifice. And at the evening
sacrifice I arose up from my heaviness; and having rent my garment and
my mantle, I fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands unto the LORD
my God, And said, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to
thee, my God: for our iniquities are increased over our head, and
our trespass is grown up unto the heavens. Since the days of our fathers
have we been in a great trespass unto this day; and for our
iniquities have we, our kings, and our priests, been delivered into
the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, and to
a spoil, and to confusion of face, as it is this day. And now for
a little space grace hath been shewed from the LORD our God, to
leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a nail in his holy place,
that our God may lighten our eyes, and give us a little reviving in our
bondage. For we were bondmen; yet our God hath not forsaken us in
our bondage, but hath extended mercy unto us in the sight of the kings
of Persia, to give us a reviving, to set up the house of our God, and to
repair the desolations thereof, and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem.
And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? for we have forsaken
thy commandments, Which thou hast commanded by thy servants the prophets,
saying, The land, unto which ye go to possess it, is an unclean land with
the filthiness of the people of the lands, with their abominations, which
have filled it from one end to another with their uncleanness. Now therefore
give not your daughters unto their sons, neither take their daughters unto
your sons, nor seek their peace or their wealth for ever: that ye may be
strong, and eat the good of the land, and leave it for an inheritance
to your children for ever. And after all that is come upon us for our evil
deeds, and for our great trespass, seeing that thou our God hast punished
us less than our iniquities deserve, and hast given us such
deliverance as this; Should we again break thy commandments, and join in
affinity with the people of these abominations? wouldest not thou be angry
with us till thou hadst consumed us, so that there should be
no remnant nor escaping? O LORD God of Israel, thou art righteous:
for we remain yet escaped, as it is this day: behold, we are
before thee in our trespasses: for we cannot stand before thee because
of this.

(Ezra 9:1-15)

Now when Ezra had prayed, and when he had confessed, weeping and casting
himself down before the house of God, there assembled unto him out of Israel
a very great congregation of men and women and children: for the people
wept very sore. And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons
of Elam, answered and said unto Ezra, We have trespassed against our God,
and have taken strange wives of the people of the land: yet now there is
hope in Israel concerning this thing. Now therefore let us make a covenant
with our God to put away all the wives, and such as are born of them, according
to the counsel of my lord, and of those that tremble at the commandment
of our God; and let it be done according to the law. Arise; for this
matter belongeth unto thee: we also will be with thee: be
of good courage, and do it. Then arose Ezra, and made the chief
priests, the Levites, and all Israel, to swear that they should do according
to this word. And they sware. Then Ezra rose up from before the house of
God, and went into the chamber of Johanan the son of Eliashib: and when
he came thither, he did eat no bread, nor drink water: for he mourned because
of the transgression of them that had been carried away. And they made
proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem unto all the children of the
captivity, that they should gather themselves together unto Jerusalem;
And that whosoever would not come within three days, according to the counsel
of the princes and the elders, all his substance should be forfeited, and
himself separated from the congregation of those that had been carried
away. Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered themselves together
unto Jerusalem within three days. It was the ninth month, on the
twentieth day of the month; and all the people sat in the street
of the house of God, trembling because of this matter, and for the
great rain. And Ezra the priest stood up, and said unto them, Ye have transgressed,
and have taken strange wives, to increase the trespass of Israel. Now therefore
make confession unto the LORD God of your fathers, and do his pleasure:
and separate yourselves from the people of the land, and from the strange
wives. Then all the congregation answered and said with a loud voice, As
thou hast said, so must we do. But the people are many, and it
is a time of much rain, and we are not able to stand without, neither
is this a work of one day or two: for we are many that have transgressed
in this thing. Let now our rulers of all the congregation stand, and let
all them which have taken strange wives in our cities come at appointed
times, and with them the elders of every city, and the judges thereof,
until the fierce wrath of our God for this matter be turned from us. Only
Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahaziah the son of Tikvah were employed
about this matter: and Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite helped
them. And the children of the captivity did so. And Ezra the priest, with
certain chief of the fathers, after the house of their fathers, and all
of them by their names, were separated, and sat down in the first
day of the tenth month to examine the matter. And they made an end with
all the men that had taken strange wives by the first day of the first
month.

(Ezra 10:1-17)

It might seem unfair that a woman is punished by not being a virgin, seeing
that there is no way that a man can be found out. Until it is realised
that the man is responsible to the Lord Jesus Christ and has to answer
to Him.

But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the
head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.

(1 Corinthians 11:3)

But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that
doeth it destroyeth his own soul.

(Proverbs 6:32)

Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers
and adulterers God will judge.

(Hebrews 13:4)

We are the bride of Christ, so at the marriage ceremony in heaven it shall
be found out if we have remained true to our Covenant or not.

Would to God ye could bear with me a little in my folly: and indeed
bear with me. For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have
espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste
virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled
Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity
that is in Christ.

(2 Corinthians 11:1-3)

We see that the head of Christ is God. This is a spiritual union. Also,
the head of man is Christ; a worldly/spiritual union. The "head of the
woman is man" quotation is a worldly union. In time, if the trust was not
broken by one or the other party, they could move forward spiritually together
under the responsibility of the husband. If the husband neglected his wife
by going out with the boys, or the wife manipulated her husband for her
own ends, the relationship could not grow. It would reach a plateau and
stay there. If a wife uses the act of sex as a weapon to force a decision
from her husband that he is reluctant to take, she is not one with him
and has broken the marriage oneness. The total trust that the one should
have with the other is gone.

And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto
men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance:
for ye serve the Lord Christ. But he that doeth wrong shall receive for
the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.

(Colossians 3:23-25)

Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide: keep the doors
of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom.

(Micah 7:5)

This is one of Satan's most potent weapons in the war for the souls of
mankind. Marriage lasts for perhaps fifty years, plenty of time for Satan
to find the weakness of each partner and work on them.

If we manipulate the Bible to fit into what we would like it to be, our
relationship with Jesus will remain on a plateau.

The people who go to church, take communion but sin willingly during the
week, in other words the Sunday Christians, are like a wife who is physically
faithful to her husband, but whispers stories about him to her friends
behind his back. She is faithful according to the law, but commits emotional
adultery because she is not one flesh with him.

A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband: but she that maketh
ashamed is as rottenness in his bones.

(Proverbs 12:4)

Just as Jesus was the perfect man, without sin and is now the spiritual
bridegroom, so the man should endeavour to be the perfect husband, considering
his wife before himself. In this way a perfect marriage can be effected,
because the wife can then rely on her husband to protect her. He leads
by example.

Once again:

So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his
wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth
and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:

(Ephesians 5:29)

Here's an example of a perfect Bridegroom:

If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him,
he also will deny us: If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful:
he cannot deny himself.

(2 Timothy 2:12-13)

And here's an unfaithful bride:

Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it
upon your lusts. Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship
of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of
the world is the enemy of God.

(James 4:3-4)

The relationship that should exist between the husband and wife is explained
in the Bible so that we (man/woman) can stay in covenant (oneness) with
our Lord.

Just as Sarah called Abraham lord, so should our relationship be with our
Lord. We are reliant on Him to call us with the sound of a trumpet. We
will not hear His call if we have not kept ourselves pure to His satisfaction,
if we are following after some idol (denomination).

Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the
Lord. Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them.

(Colossians 3:18-19)

Does this mean that the wife must submit to her husband in all things?
No. If, for example, the husband wishes to commit sodomy with his wife,
she should refuse as this shall be disobeying God's word. His word stands
above that of all men.

If we are not prepared to be obedient, perhaps we were not betrothed (born
again) in the first place; but if we were and are not now obedient to His
wishes, we are in big trouble, because it shall be found out that we were
adulterers while in the world.

From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they
not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust,
and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight
and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not,
because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. Ye
adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world
is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is
the enemy of God. Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit
that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? But he giveth more grace. Wherefore
he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit
yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands,
ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning,
and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the
Lord, and he shall lift you up.

(James 4:1-10)

If this is the case, our Heavenly Bridegroom can annul the marriage in
righteous anger at the time of consummation - the marriage supper of the
Lamb. For Christians, this is the day of judgement, that day.

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly,
nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he
meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers
of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall
not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. The ungodly are
not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Therefore
the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation
of the righteous. For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the
way of the ungodly shall perish.

(Psalms 1:1-6)

Verses 1-4 are what happens in this temporary life. Verse 5 shows that
the ungodly shall fall at the judgement (they will not stand)

The Earnest of the Spirit

Just as the marriage ceremony is the start of living as one flesh and going
on together with one purpose in mind, so we who are reborn from above have
started a Covenant walk with God. And because we are sanctified in the name
of Jesus Christ, He is called the (heavenly) Bridegroom and we the bride
of Christ. Just as the woman is under the man's authority and protection
in married life, so should we be under the authority and protection of
our heavenly Bridegroom. But only, if we, like an obedient wife, are obedient
to the wishes of our Bridegroom.

This is heavy, not so and confirms once again that the once born again
always born again theory is nothing but another potent red herring of Satan;
one that has so many professing Christians in bondage and danger of hellfire.

This all comes back to the most successful red herring of all - lack of
understanding of the Blood Covenant.

If we read over the following passage it will seem that we are sealed in
a Covenant with God and He has promised that by grace we are saved; all
our spiritual troubles are now over, we're going to heaven.

For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto
the glory of God by us. Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ,
and hath anointed us, is God; Who hath also sealed us, and given
the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.

(2 Corinthians 1:20-22)

Or does it?

What does the word "earnest" mean?

According to Vine's Expository Dictionary:

Earnest - The Greek word Arrabòn; originally earnest money deposited
by the purchaser and forfeited if the purchase was not completed, was probably
a Phoenician word, introduced into Greece. In general usage it came to
denote a pledge or earnest. In modern Greek arrabòna is an
engagement ring.

The earnest of the Spirit is therefore a deposit laid in our hearts
by God, which the Holy Spirit can enlarge on if we allow Him to, by being
faithful to the Holy Covenant.

It is thus abundantly clear, when we understand the meaning of the word
earnest that there is a condition attached - we are engaged or betrothed
to the heavenly Bridegroom, and only at the time of the marriage ceremony
will it be found whether we have been obedient to the Covenant of promise.

Here it's confirmed:

In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth,
the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were
sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance
until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his
glory.

(Ephesians 1:13-14)

If the following passage is read carefully and understood, we see that
there is no other possible meaning but that we shall be tested for our
faithfulness on that day. Have we remained a spiritual virgin, or
has the holy flesh been given to another? Has God remained our God or has
He been replaced in our hearts by an idol?

This passage, like most others of Paul's writings, was written to practising
Christians, those to whom the knowledge of Jesus Christ was no mere fairy
story.

Please Lord, open their spiritual eyes.

For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved,
we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the
heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with
our house which is from heaven: If so be that being clothed we shall not
be found naked. For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being
burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality
might be swallowed up of life. Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame
thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.
Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at
home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not
by sight:) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent
from the body, and to be present with the Lord. Wherefore we labour, that,
whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. For we must all appear
before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things
done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether
it be good or bad. Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we
persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made
manifest in your consciences. For we commend not ourselves again unto you,
but give you occasion to glory on our behalf, that ye may have somewhat
to answer them which glory in appearance, and not in heart.

(2 Corinthians 5:1-12)

Now please ask yourself:

How much do I love the Lord and how real is He to me? How earnest is my
desire?

If I were divorced and wished to marry a second time, would I do so, with
the probability of being very happily married, or would I refrain from
doing so, knowing that I would be breaking the covenant that I made before
God the first time?